“Demo Disk” – WarioWare: Get It Together! demo (2021) [Switch]

Demo Disk is a series of first impressions posts for new releases and quick opinions.

Don’t let it surprise you that I’ve played more WarioWare than I ever have before in the new WarioWare: Get It Together! demo. I played about 20 minutes. So maybe that means I’m not the best person to write up a review, but I can give you my first impressions as someone who has never been too familiar with the series. In short: what a rush!

TWEEZE!

Wario has just finished creating his latest game, likely some sort of commentary on game development and indies, but he and his cohort of crazies are mysteriously sucked into the digital world of the game where they face an adrenaline-fueled series of not mini-games but micro-games. These appetizers of gameplay, these tiny games within a game within a game, last but a few seconds each. They make WarioWare: Get It Together! more about intuitive single-screen puzzle design and player reaction time more than anything else (excepting that of course you can’t access all the modes in this demo).

STRUM!

To my mind, this is the most impressive aspect of this game’s DNA, what WarioWare: Get It Together! actually is. It boils down and condenses already simple gameplay ideas presented in isolation such as reaching point B, choosing between two options, or avoiding getting hit by lasers and offers them up in effervescent moments. Many of these are familiar concepts, but we don’t always see them in such raw, elemental forms. The developers had to think about deconstruction and minimalism while still providing challenge and an energetic pace to the game, right down to the single command that flashes across the screen to explain how to play the micro-game. Simple tutorials that must communicate within a second to as many different kinds of people as possible.

SHOO!

What you can access are about a dozen micro-games, give or take a few, and a handful of unlockable characters. There are many more of each in the full version (over 200 micro-games), but mastering the characters already seems to be the key to the game. Each character has different movement and attack patterns, creating more gameplay variety for each of the random micro-games a player faces. For example, Wario can float around with a jetpack and use his iconic charging dash attack but he’s slower than a few other characters. 18-Volt can’t walk or fly but he can throw an endless array of projectiles. Orbulon whisks around in a UFO but has to use a vertical tractor beam to interact with most objects.

HYPNOTIZE!

Although you can select which characters you’d like to use, picking just three or selecting them all after you’ve unlocked each one, it’s really a box of chocolates. You’re never sure what micro-game you’re gonna get. Without knowing what’s coming next or which character you’ll end up with, you are forced to think on your feet. Certain characters are honestly better at certain micro-games than others. If you can’t think fast, you’ll lose the micro-games and get a game over. In many ways, WarioWare: Get It Together! is laid out like a classic arcade game.

LEAVE THE CANDY!

I quickly unlocked all the characters and played all the micro-games in this demo, and even tried out 2-player mode where the party aspect of the game really shines. That’s likely where the game’s biggest draw will come from, particularly with the remaining modes in the full version. I was fairly surprised when Nintendo announced they were bringing a new WarioWare game to the Switch but I do think Get It Together! is perfect for the platform, though it’s likely best enjoyed in short bursts.

Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage or Mage Cast.